Gun Moll

[bluerose]

As sexy as ox blood lipstick and a Chicago typewriter: honeycomb, red amber, narcissus, bergamot, Zanzibar clove, opium poppy, tobacco leaf, skin musk, dark fruits, night blooming jasmine, tarragon, and gunpowder.

In the bottle: This is hard to describe. It's the all the scents are mashed together. I can't pick out any individual notes at all. It's like nothing I've smelled before.

On the skin: It's very soft and close to the skin. It reminds me of the dames of the 30s. The only note I can pick out now is the opium.

[zankoku_zen]

Given the jasmine and gunpowder in the description, I was a little worried about this. However, OMG! Gun Moll to me smells like Voodoo Queen's little sister. They share the same base for me (smoky, skin musk, clove) but Gun Moll is a little 'springier' because of the jasmine and the swirl of fruit. The drydown actually turns into VQ + honey (but the honey isn't obnoxious because it's honeycomb - honey can be a totally aggrressive note on my skin). I've worn it for a few days at a time, and that's only happened rarely with scents that I really really enjoy. I really do believe I may be getting along with opium poppy, but I'd have to look at my spreadsheet of notes to double check.

 

For me, the jasmine is pretty strong on wet, but it dissipates. I don't really get any gunpowder (which I got in spades with Agnes Nutter).

 

I have a decant that I'm using at the minute, and have secured a bottle. Yes, I love it that much. The length of this review should also be an indication, since my reviews have become pretty short these days.

[jencallisto]

In the decant: Perfumey, hard to make out any specific notes.

Fresh on the skin: Bitter and sour and uck. There's some sweetness to it, but it's hard to get to it.

5 minutes in: Uck. Powdery and perfumey and bitter and sweet in a cloying way and ew. Not my style.

15 minutes in: The opium is taking over for me, I think. There's a sweetness and a bunch of other things -- very complex and well blended -- but the opium is standing in the way. The other stuff is trying to bloom, and I'm hoping it keeps coming. But basically right now this smells like icky, overly strong soap.

20 minutes in: Cloying and stuffy. Not a fan.

30 minutes in: Yup.

1 hours in: Still all opium and bitter florals and ick.

2 hours in: Opium and bitter, cloying florals. Hate.

3 hours in: Lots of musk now, soap and armpit. Don't much like this stage, either.

4 hours in: Yup. Armpit.

5 hours in: Still going strong. Armpit.

 

Verdict: Ew. It is never good when "fades to armpit" is an improvement. This was probably the biggest disappointment of the C2E2s for me -- so many potentially wonderful notes (I even like jasmine! And honeycomb and amber and bergamot and clove and dark fruits are all often lovely, and skin musk and tobacco leaf and gunpowder and narcissus and tarragon all could've been fine!), so monstrous on my skin. I really need to remember that opium is one of those notes I hate that amp on me.

 

One word: Cloying.

Edited July 22, 2010 by jencallisto

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Spectacular.

 

I couldn't pick out specific notes, because this is so well blended. It smells like a combination of Chanel No. 5 & YSL Opium. It's wicked, sexy, and sophisticated.

 

I couldn't be more thrilled with this scent. The dry-down reminds me of a stuffed animal a boyfriend gave me when I was in 10th grade...he spritzed it with his cologne.

Edited May 6, 2011 by mxtine

[milo]

At first, this is very traditional cologne type blend, I'm not liking it so far. As it dries, it gets quite hard to describe, as noted above. The cologne is gone, and we're left with musky, dark feminine incense, but now overpowering at all. It definitely morphed into something quite lovely and mysterious. I will certainly treasure my little bottle of this.

 

eta: The above being said, I'm not sure this one is for me after all. It just seems so sophisticated, vampy, little black dress-ish with blood red lipstick on. I could see myself wearing this for a night out on the town, but not much else.

Edited August 17, 2010 by milo

[juniperus]

Bottle: bright and shiny and floral

Wet: the florals are still forward, but behind them is both sweetness and darkness (the latter moreso the tobacco than the gunpowder, I think)

Dry: that thing that my skin does, that amping of tobacco and sweet florals? ugh.

Later: and now the flowers are in that sickly-sweet-rotting-cut-flowers phase and appear to have been put in a room in which there were just two dozen smokers lighting up really stale cigs. Woe.

[theseagrows]

this does really smell like a "classic" scent. it is very, very dry. i swear all i get is poppy and gunpowder and maybe the narcissus. i was hoping to get the clove, amber, tobacco and skin musk, but apparently most of the notes in this are eaten by my skin. but actually, i can't even smell those notes (or any others) in the vial, so, i'm not sure what happened with this one.

[filigree_shadow]

This smells like a very traditional dark floral perfume. Narcissus and jasmine and poppy. I don't know which perfumes it smells like because... well, scents like this are the reason why I started wearing BPAL perfumes instead of expensive perfume house perfumes. I don't like the ones that smell like this. I know the ones that smell like this are often thought to be sexy, but not to me.

[biocarolyn]

Oh wow. On the dry-down, this /is/ one of the BPAL scents that I feel is closer to "commercial" perfume (like 51, for example). But this is the sleekest, sexiest "commercial" perfume I can imagine. It isn't sexy the way Snake Oil etc. is sexy, all red musk and hedonism, this is sexy in a serious kind of way- a woman with perfect red lipstick and a revolver in her purse. It is complex enough that I've got a hard time identifying notes, but keep in mind I stink at florals. In the bottle and wet, the gunpowder is a top note that makes its presence known strongly, drowning out the florals. Then, (and keep in mind I am starting to think my skin amps amber) the amber appears to smooth this all out. Something else- clove? makes it spicy and a little sharp, and I can also really smell the skin musk which is a note I love. These are the kind of florals I can take- I would have guessed dark orchid, but I see it isn't there; probably the opium poppy & narcissus combining with the fruits? Anyway, something like that No screamy jasmine, that's for sure.

 

Fascinating, keeps changing, kaleidoscopic and brilliant. Appropriate for a night out with people who don't "get" BPAL, but it still has a real personality and doesn't smell like generic floral perfume. Really really nice, I am thrilled to have a bottle.

[fallingfortruth]

This is one of my signature scents. I was extremely hesitant to try it at first, because both honeycomb and jasmine are major warning flags for me (I haaaaate the BPAL honey note, and jasmine usually amps on me to the point where it's the only thing I can smell, and that isn't cute) but I swapped for a decant of it, but oh. my.

 

This is how sexy lady assassins smell. It's feminine, sultry, and just a little bit dangerous. It's blended in a way that balances perfectly with my skin chemistry, and now I have two bottles. I'm so glad that I gave it a shot, despite my qualms.

[SophieCedar]

Gun Moll is a signature scent for me as well.

 

It goes on a bit powdery.. but seductive and dark, like opium. The drydown and lingering scent is Oh. My. for sure. Dry but sweet, red, resinous, dark florals and fruits. This is eyesrollingintobackofhead good. Love the way it lingers on my clothing!

 

If you thought Red Lantern was a bit too sweet, give this a shot.

[elka_knits]

I was recently frimped some gun moll and I hesitate to review it due to my wretched cold from hell that just won't go away. Everything smells terrible on me atm and even my favorites are noxious so I assume this will be even more appealing when I am feeling better. Yes appealing and it isn't my style. I am getting bergamot heavy zinginess from this and finding it very refreshing. Not cloying, heavy, sexy or any of the other reviews. Maybe a hint of gunpowder. As a lover of all the notes listed except for bergamot and ummm gunpowder I am surprised I am enjoying this since that is all I am getting from it. Will be back laters when my nose isn't broken

[porcelina]

gun moll is closer to a traditional perfume scent than most other bpal in my collection. bizarrely, the first thing i smell when wet is moth balls and i think the opium poppy is responsible because i often get a moth ball vibe from opium scents (note that for me this is not a bad thing because i weirdly enjoy the smell of moth balls). i love the honeycomb note because it really does smell like beautiful beeswax and i get a lot of that in the background. the jasmine is present but subdued and everything is gorgeously smoothed out by skin musk as it dries. there is a hint of rich dark fruit but not in a sweet, cloying way. this is a sophisticated, sexy scent to wear with a black dress and red lipstick. i love it.

Edited April 14, 2015 by porcelina

[LizziesLuck]

Something about this has always called to me, and I have contemplated hunting a bottle down for years. It really could go either way, with this combination of notes....often scents with a ton of notes are a muddled mess on me.

 

 

Wet: Interesting! Opium, amber and honey are what I think I am getting initially. Some complexities that I can't identify, but that give it a wonderful depth, as well. Some smoky tobacco as well. If I had to describe it in three words at this stage - "oldschool, classic sex-appeal" (Shh, that is too three words). It gets a little dirty, a little gritty (in a good way!) as it dries further. Oh ya, this is sexy.

 

 

Dry: This is primarily a soft, sensual, sweet opium scent on me. I don't like many opium scents, I usually find it sharp and unappealing, but this, as I say, is soft and sweet, very well rounded, with hints of floral and spice that swirl around appealingly. I think the sweetness of both honey and amber are what make this so gorgeous on me. It's very old school sexy, and I love it. Glad I took the chance on it!

[LavenderCoffee]

Just snagged a bottle off etsy and it's so upsettingly good. Wearing it feels less like playing dress up and more like putting on a new persona: I may be on my couch in slouchy costco pants but by adding a dab of Gun Moll I'm a total smokeshow, a dangerous dame, not to be crossed.

It's a timeless femme fatale type scent, gorgeously blended. 

[elissamay]

This is a perfect dupe for Chanel No. 5 on me when applied, and I'm actually pretty confused! It's uncanny.

 

The jasmine and amber take their sweet, sweet time showing up to move this out of powdery, Chanel territory. (Territory I have previously explored, but that is very much not my vibe.) I very emphatically do not like this at all until it's completely dried down.

 

Once it gets there, it's a spicy, sexy, musky, jasmine-y bombshell with a perfect cupid's bow and pinstripes. She just arrives fashionably late.